Attachment-plug receptacle.



G. B. THOMAS.

ATTACHMENT PLUG RECEPTACLB APPLICATION FILED JULY 5.1911.

1,261,649. Patented Apr. 2,1918.

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GEORGE B. THOMAS, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BRYANT ELEC- TRIO COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

ATTACHMENT-PLUG RECEPTACLE.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

5 Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

' Application filed July 5, 1917. Serial No. 178,739.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. THOMAS, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Attachment-Plug Receptacles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates. to attachment plug receptacles, and particularly to receptacles of the type designed to cooperate with a plug having jack blades, the object of my invention being to provide an improved receptacle of such construction that a proper engagement between the jack blades and the receptacle terminals is insured.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the receptacle in. which my invention is embodied in one form.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22, Fig. 1, showing a cooperating plug with its jacks in position to engage the receptacle terminals.

Fig. 3 is a plan of a modified construction.

Fig. 4 is a broken side elevation thereof.

Figs. 5 and 6 are more or less diagrammatic views of detail modifications.

Attachment plug receptacles of the type to which the present invention relates are now commonly provided with an insulating base pierced to afford contact chambers in which are arranged spring terminals adapted to be engaged by the jacks of a cooperating plug. These spring terminals are necessarily spaced at their free ends from the walls of the contact chamber, so that they may yield as the plug jacks are forced into engagement therewith. This spacing of the terminals from the walls of the contact chamber makes it possible so to insert the plug jacks that they enter on the wrong side of the terminals. While this may occasion no trouble, it is desirable to insure the contact of the jacks with that side of the terminals which is designed for such engagement, and the present invention provides a construction which insures this result.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, I have here shown a common type of receptacle, having a two piece base of insulating material, the lower block 10 of which carries plates 11 and 12 and extend into the oblong holes 17 and 18 pierced through the cap portion 19 of the base. These holes 17 and 18 afi'ord contact chambers and guide Ways for the jacks 20 and 21 of the cooperating plug 22.

Opening to the outer long side of each hole 17 and 18 is a narrow slot 23, extending the depth of the cap 19. Entering these slots are tongues 24 and 25 at the outer free ends of the terminals 15' and 16. It is obvious that should the plug 21 be inserted in such a position that its jack 20 rests against the outer wall 26 of the hole 17 so that it might engage the wrong side of the terminal 15 were the latter of ordinary construction, it will now engage the tongue 24 and be deflected toward the inner Wall 27 of the hole 17, so that it will be brought into engagement with the proper face of the terminal 15. The inclination of the tongue 24 is designed to assist this action and also to flex the terminal 15 outward for the same purpose.

In Figs. 3 and 4, a modified construction is illustrated. Here the tongue, instead of being formed on the terminal, is formed on the insulating body, and enters slot 29 cut in the free end of the terminal. The constructions are obvious equivalents.

Instead of a forked end for the terminal, the tongues of which enter slots on each side of a rib as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, one of the tongues of the fork might be omitted, thus giving a construction substantially identical with that of Fig. 1, and I have illustrated this diagrammatically in Fig. 5. The tongue 30 extends into the slot '31 formed at one end of the hole 17.

Furthermore, it is not necessary that the slot 23 be carried the full length of the hole 17 (Figs. 1 and 2), or the tonguev 28 (in Figs. 3 and 4). Both may be stopped at the level of the terminal end, leaving the outer end of the guide slot in its usual ob- 100 tion to attain the desired result will readily 105 occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from what I claim as my invention.

I claim:

1. An attachment plug receptacle having 119 aninsulating body pierced to afiord a contact chamber, areceptacle terminal in said chamber and a tongue'and groove engagement between said terminal and a wall 0% said chamber, said tongue being arranged to prevent the entry of the jack of a cooperating plug into engagement with one side of said terminal for the purpose described.

2. An attachment plug receptacle having an insulating body pierced to afiord a con tact chamber, a receptacle terminal in said chamber and a tongue and groove engage ment between the free end of said terminal and the wall of said chamber, said tongue being arranged to prevent the entry of the jack of a cooperating plug inta engagement with one side of said terminal.

3. An attachment lug receptacle having an insulating body pierced to afi'ord a contact chamber, a receptacle terminal in said chamber and a tongue and groove engagement between said terminal and the wall of said chamber, sald tongue being arranged to prevent the entry of the Jack of a comatinee operating plug into engagement with one side of said terminal, the engagingparts being of less width than the width of the terminal.

4. An attachment plug receptacle having an insulating body pierced to afford a contact chamber, a groove opening to said chamber and a terminal located in said chamber and having a portion extending into said channel ,to deflect the jack of a coiiperating plug into engagement with one face of said terminal.

5. An attachment plug receptaclehaving an insulating body pierced to aficrd a contact chamber, a groove opening to said chamber, and a terminal located in said chamber and having at its free end a portion extending into said groove to deflect the jack of a cooperating plug into engagement with one face of said terminal.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GEQRGE B. THOMAS. 

